Top Koxx rider Vincent Hermance spoke to us yesterday evening in an interview in which we talked about the competitions in Mont Sainte-Anne and the surprising final. In the days leading up to his departure he had expressed hi determination and went to Canada with the intention of bringing back the prestigious rainbow jersey. But destiny had other ideas and Vincent was forced to retire from the final following an injury. Here’s a short interview with the European bronze medallist following the competition…

Interview:

(Monday 16th September 2010 – Photos: Mont Sainte-Ann : Michel Roy / Digital Direct Multimedia)

Hi Vince ! Did you get back from Mont Sainte-Anne OK? You didn’t have much luck while you were out there did you? How’s your ankle? What happened exactly? Is it your left ankle again, the one you injured before?

It’s much better thanks, I was even able to ride in Saint-Léonard yesterday, it was a bit painful but otherwise fine, I dropped one point on my first lap and then cleaned everything else, so it can’t have been that bad! But yeah, it was the same ankle that I sprained before… In the second section [in Mont Sainte-Anne] I messed up a kicker, fell backwards and put my foot on the kicker. It hurt a lot, that’s for sure, but I could tell it wasn’t too serious. I tried to carry on, but it wasn’t really do-able, I couldn’t pedal! I had to retire from a competition for the first time in my career!

You were feeling pretty confident when you set off for the worlds, you had specific goals in mind… It was just one comp, one title, you were certainly capable of doing it… are you disappointed with how it turned out?

Until I injured myself I was convinced that I could have won it! And if I’m being honest, I thought that I would… I’m not saying that I WOULD have won, I wouldn’t let myself be so cocky, it’s just a feeling, not a fact. It’s really frustrating not knowing how it would have turned out. I’d honestly rather have ridden badly and be angry with myself than wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t had to retire.

Tell us a bit about how the Championship was for you… The format of the qualifiers was a bit atypical for a UCI competition; mud, banks, beams, rocks and stones… What did you think of the sections and how did you get on with them?

My qualification was pretty average from a points point of view, but that was OK, I was feeling pretty good in myself, better than I had done before. It’s true that the sections were a bit different to what we’re used to, but I liked it! It was a nice change and an interesting, trials is all about adapting to the terrain right? It was also a nice history lesson, that’s how trials used to be!

The final was a bit more ‘classic’ UCI – big, artificial obstacles – but there were a lot of kickers, which Gilles Coustellier wasn’t very happy about… The British riders we’ve spoken to seemed to have the same feeling – too many jumps – the general feeling among the Elites seems to be that it wasn’t ‘true’ trials. What’s your opinion of the final, how did it go for you (until you had to retire) and what did you think of Thibaut Veuillet’s sections?

Um… I kind of liked it, it was nice to have a specific obstacle that was specific to that course… What’s the point of travelling all that way just for more of the same? Having said that, there wasn’t really enough variation, but I don’t agree that it wasn’t trials. The sections were what they were and the best rider on the day won. I may have injured myself, but if I’d managed to land that jump, I could have carried on…

Did you stay and follow the rest of the comp after you retired? What did you make of it? It was the most surprising final that we’ve ever seen, that’s for sure! Gilles relegated to fifth, Benito in Second, Caisso on the podium… no one expected it to turn out like that!

Yeah, I stayed and watched. I’m glad I got to see the three medallists in action. They are the three riders that I admire the most, it was a consolation to see them take the medals… Kenny will honour the jersey and will promote the sport as much as possible. Benito showed that trials is not just reserved for three 26” riders. And Marc… there’s no need to retell the story, it’s just magnificent that he finished on the podium in that competition!

The French team stayed in a chalet all together in Mont Sainte-Anne… Did you have a good time together? Tell us a bit about your trip…

Our motto was “what goes on in the chalet, stays in the chalet”, so I won’t be giving you any details! I had a great time though, the best World Championships I’ve been to from the trip point of view! All I’ve got to say is thanks, to the federation, to all of the other riders, from all disciplines, I met some great people! It was a great experience, the only thing that was missing was a medal!

What are your plans now? Rest? Holiday? Waiting for the arrival of your baby? A long break before taking up the training again for 2011?

So far I’ve had a nice week’s rest in Coulommiers, seeing friends and family. I was back on the bike yesterday in Saint-Léonard, taking it easy though to allow my ankle to heal properly and to get back on form for 2011. Ask me again in a couple of weeks, I’ll have a better idea of my plans then. For the moment I’m concentrating on recovering from this crazy season, preparing myself for being a father. Luckily, the mother-to-be is a champion in her own right, so there’ll still be time for some trials!

Make the most of it man! Thanks for being so ready to talk to us this season, keep in touch!

Thanks! See you soon!

Photos:

Three more photos of Vince in the final, by Michel Roy...